Vicuna is a small town in the north of Chile, a country in South America. It is a great place for watching the stars. Although it is near the sea, the cold, wet air from the coast does not bring clouds. Instead dry winds from the desert keep the clouds away at night. In fact, the skies are so clear in Vicuna that it is possible to see many stars. And these stars can be seen only with special instruments (仪器)in other parts of the world.
In Vicuna, faraway star systems can be seen without the help of the instrument. That is why the town was chosen as the Home of Sky Science Station.
Vicuna has many sky science stations. One of them, the Mamalluca, is quite different from the typical sky stations used by scientists. This station was built for tourists who like to look at the stars. During the year, Vicuna's' hotels hold thousands of tourists who come from all over the world to see the night sky as they have only seen it in books. The cloudless sky is clearly a moneymaker for the town, which plans to set up even more stations. It was recently decided that building stations will go on for another few years.
At one point, however, the town faced a serious problem. As the town grew, more streetlights were added. The clear sky is polluted by light. That makes it more and more difficult to see the stars at night. The town saved the night sky by building a new system of lights. And it can light up the streets without influencing the view (观看)of the sky.
| Vicuna--A Great Place for Watching the Stars& Home for Sky Science Station | |
| of Vicuna | In the north of Chile |
| Why it's right for watching the stars | skies at night |
| How amazing | Faraway star systems can be seen without the of the instrument. |
| Tour features | Sky science stations as Mamalluca were built to attract(吸引)tourists. |
| Problems it faces | Streetlights cause light which influences the view. However, it can be solved by using a new system of lights. |
